Scorsese and Oscar Isaac bring the dark side of Las Vegas to Netflix

The backroom of Las Vegas returns to fiction

The Netflix series The Roman recreates the atmosphere of the great casinos of Las Vegas.

Netflix is ​​preparing a visit to Las Vegas, but the entry point will not be the player who tries his luck nor the tourist dazzled by the neon. The Roman , a series of eight episodes, wants to look at the city from the offices where it is decided which casino grows, who retains influence and what price it costs to continue ruling.

Oscar Isaac plays Robert Bobby Red Redman, head of one of the great casino hotels in Las Vegas. your problem will not be winning a game , but to maintain its position in a business where public image, large clients and internal alliances matter as much as the money that moves at the tables.

There appears the first attraction for those looking for series about casinos. The Roman does not seem interested in explaining rules of roulette or blackjack, but rather in observe the board that surrounds the game .

Casinos, hotels, restaurants, shows, credit, debt and reputation are part of the same machinery. In Las Vegas, losing power can be more dangerous than lose money.

Scorsese, Billions and the weight of power

Martin's participation Scorsese as executive producer raises expectations . His relationship with Casino , released in 1995, makes it inevitable to think about that fierce look at Las Vegas, but the project points to another historical moment.

The current Strip is more corporate, technological and monitored , although it is still fueled by the same mix of ambition and risk.

The creative part adds another reason to look closely at the project . Brian Koppelman and David Levien, creators of Billions , are listed as screenwriters, showrunners and executive producers.

His career fits well with a casino story : They have already worked on stories where money is not just a prize, but a form of power, from the aggressive finances of Billions even poker Rounders and the big blows linked to the world of casinos in Ocean's Thirteen .

J. C. Chandor will direct the first two episodes. The director shares a creative history with Isaac and arrives with a filmography marked by characters who calculate, negotiate and move close to the limit. That approach can help Las Vegas does not work only as a decoration , but as a space of constant pressure.

Oscar Isaac Vegas and the pull of on-screen casinos

Oscar Isaac fits well in a series set in Las Vegas . His character, Bobby Red, needs charisma to move between clients, partners and rivals, but also a certain ambiguity so that the viewer does not fully know how far he is willing to go. That mix can take him away from the typical casino tycoon and give him more dramatic travel.

The cast also includes Betty Gilpin, Alec Baldwin, David Costabile, Shalom Brune-Franklin and Jimmy O. Yang. The presence of Costabile draws attention for his connection with Billions , a series where corporate power, strategy, and shifting loyalties were an essential part of the tone.

In The Roman , that tension can be transferred to an industry where luxury coexists with much less clean decisions and with internal competition that is difficult to control. For Netflix, casinos once again offer a very recognizable setting.

Las Vegas has an image, conflict and a promise of advancement that the public quickly identifies. That's why series about casinos work when they don't just stay on the set.

The interesting thing will be to see if The Roman get to show what happens behind the facade : who is in charge, who negotiates, who is left out when business gets complicated and who pays the price for each movement.

Still There is no release date confirmMada , but the project brings together enough names to attract the attention of those who follow the casinos on television and in the cinema.

If it works, the series will not sell Las Vegas as a tourist fantasy , but as a territory of power where every favor, every debt and every alliance can change the balance.

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